


Sanctuary

by Werepirechick



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Animal Sanctuary, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Animal Rescue, Discussion of Animal Death, Environmentalism, Environmentalist Valka, F/M, Nature Conservationist Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Platonic Soulmates, THW was wrong they're not allowed to be split up ever, Veterinary Medicine, aka the modern au where dragons are endangered species, basically just a fic about how i'd see our coexistence with dragons play out today, bc humans suck, which going by the length of the endangered species list, wouldn't be an easy one
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-04-12 11:21:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19131016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Werepirechick/pseuds/Werepirechick
Summary: Hiccup hears the crackle of his radio on his hip and Astrid’s voice a second later.“Rise and shine,”Astrid says, strong and chipper.“We have three video conferences today, all of which very important and not something you can put off. We’re also getting two new dragons from our sister sanctuary. Eret will be bringing them, around noon, so we have to clear out two adult enclosures before then. Oh, and the twins called in and said they broke an arm each again, so they’ll be late by about an hour.”Hiccup smiles wryly, slowing his and Toothless’ glide as he answers the radio call. “Good morning to you, too, Astrid.”(In another world, Hiccup and his riders run a proper dragon sanctuary. It's somehow working out for them.)





	Sanctuary

**Author's Note:**

> i've been marathoning nature documentaries lately, mostly about conserving our wildlife and remaining old growth forests, and so because i'm me and have very specific interests, i made this au for everyone to see.
> 
> THW... it hurt me very much and i did not like it. this is a fic that'll heal some of that hurt for me, and hopefully for anyone else who's sad about how the series ended :')

Hiccup is woken up by two things. One is his sense that dawn is creeping over the horizon, cueing the start of his very long day. Two is a hot, slimy tongue swiping against his cheek.

“ _MmnfftToothless no,”_ he protests, pushing against the jaw of the dragon. Toothless just puts a paw down on his arm and keeps licking, gurgling mischievously.

Hiccup gives up trying to sleep any longer and sits up, wrapping his other arm around Toothless’ thick neck and clinging. “You’re a _Night_ Fury,” Hiccup complains into Toothless’ ear flaps, “emphasis on the _night._ Why do you always wake me up at the crack of dawn?”

Toothless rumbles, nuzzling Hiccup’s already terrible bedhead. He _hou-hou-houghs_ a dragon’s laugh, because as loving as he is, he is also inclined to inconvenience Hiccup as he pleases. And then Toothless stands up, dragging Hiccup right out of his bed. Because Hiccup needs to feed him breakfast.

Hiccup has not been allowed to sleep late since he found Toothless, out in the woods of their village. Every day following has had Hiccup’s thoughts and plans revolving around his dragon friend. Though that’s caused him trouble in the past- to put it lightly, anyway- he wouldn’t have it any other way.

But, he could do without the physically being dragged out of his room. Hiccup stumbles to his feet, prosthetic clanking, as Toothless keeps going, herding him towards the kitchen. He ignores Hiccup’s complaints, “Toothless, bud, I can walk, I’m _going.”_

Light is streaming in through the kitchen window, over the well-worn floorboards and abused countertop. Hiccup’s house is only large enough that he and Toothless can really fit, since everything else is down at home base. Their fridge, however, is oversized, filled with samples, a small amount of people food, and so, so many fish.

Hiccup pops the fridge open and lets Toothless grab the fish he wants, while Hiccup reaches for the top shelf and pulls out a protein shake. He’s already waking up properly, his mental to-do list pushing him to get dressed and get out there, get to work so everything else will flow smoothly.

Toothless shudders next to him, convulsing briefly and coughing up a half of fish at Hiccup’s feet. Hiccup’s dragon partner of eight years sits back, staring expectantly.

“…Bud, c’mon,” Hiccup complains, nudging the fish with his toe. “We’ve been over this.”

Toothless narrows his eyes. He grumbles at Hiccup, tail flicking and hitting the bottom cupboards loudly. They hold a silent battle of wills with their gazes for a full ten seconds, and then, as per usual, Hiccup feels himself give in.

“You’re gonna give me a serious disease one of these days,” Hiccup grouchily informs his dragon. He stoops, picks up the fish, and takes a disgusting bite out of its side. It’s a testament to how desensitized Hiccup has become over the years that he only shudders, stomach protesting, for a few seconds.

Toothless takes the rest of the fish back, licking Hiccup’s hand and then face, purring happily. “Yeah, yeah, love you, too,” Hiccup mutters, scratching under Toothless’ chin. He barely bothers wiping away the spit; there is never a moment of his life anymore where he doesn’t have it on him. “Let’s get going, okay? Got a lot of things to get done.”

Toothless gives him one more affectionate nuzzle, and then lets Hiccup go track down clothes with as little filth on them as possible.

 

-/-

 

A flock of Terrors startle out of their tree as Hiccup and Toothless take flight. Rising away from their modest little cabin, they soar up into the sky, greeting the morning sunrise as it spreads light across the island. The cold wind nips Hiccup’s skin, the rush of flying waking him completely in a way coffee can never compare.

They don’t have to speak, not up here. They move together, united in the way they curve and dive through the clouds. Neither one leads the other; each flick of a wing or tail to change their course made with one mind. Hiccup shifts the gears of the mechanism that binds them, a physical manifestation of their partnership, and he hollers gleefully along with Toothless as they plummet towards the forest below.

They pull up in a whirl, spinning and laughing. Toothless pumps his wings and skims them over the very tips of the trees, scaring birds and the Terror flock all over again. The chain-link roofs of the pens their shadow falls over rattle with the speed of their flight; earning growls and shrieks and excited calls, wanting to follow, wanting for them to descend.

They don’t stop. Their morning flight isn’t something they ever interrupt. It’s _their_ time, synchronized, hearts beating together, internal fires roaring as everything else about their lives falls away. There’s only them and the sky.

It can’t last forever, though. Toothless isn’t the only dragon who needs attention. As they circle back around, reeling in the giddy joy that comes with their flights, the shape of home base comes into view. The Sanctuary’s main building stands proudly where it’s been built, emblazoned by painted dragon shapes on its exterior. The large hand carved sign driven into the ground nearby reads _Berk Dragon Sanctuary_ , brilliant paint showcasing that name to anyone who sees it.

Fishlegs’ jeep is already parked in its spot, because he’s an even earlier riser than Hiccup is. Being responsible for majority of the hatchling care will do that to you. Astrid’s motorbike is parked next to the jeep, bright blue in the morning light. She’s likely just arrived, driving up from town while Hiccup and Toothless had their hour-long flyby of their home.

Snotlout’s big black truck isn’t here yet, big surprise, but they won’t need extra wranglers right away. The twins’- somehow still functional- party van is absent, too. Hiccup can only hope that whatever insane thing they did over the weekend in that deathtrap, it won’t prevent it from roaring up the dirt road same as always.

Other cars will arrive soon, as people report in for their respective jobs. Hiccup hears the crackle of his radio on his hip and Astrid’s voice a second later.

“ _Rise and shine,”_ Astrid says, strong and chipper. “ _We have three video conferences today, all of which very important and not something you can put off. We’re also getting two new dragons from our sister sanctuary. Eret will be bringing them, around noon, so we have to clear out two adult enclosures before then. Oh, and the twins called in and said they broke an arm each again, so they’ll be late by about an hour.”_

Hiccup smiles wryly, slowing his and Toothless’ glide down as he answers the radio call. “Good morning to you, too, Astrid.”

“ _Yes, good morning. Now go grab some coffee and meet Fishlegs in the hatchery; one of the Changewings is worrying him and he wants your opinion on it.”_

“We’ll get right on it.”

“ _Great. Call me when you’re done- we need to get you looking less like a Wildman before we start the first conference at ten.”_

Astrid stops talking after that, so the conversation must be over. Hiccup sighs, looking down at Toothless. “We’re married, and not even an ‘I love you’? Honestly.” Toothless chuffs, shaking himself and wandering towards the building entrance. He evidently still doesn’t care much for Hiccup’s marital drama.

Hiccup finds a travel mug of coffee inside on the front desk, along with a baggy of granola bars. His favorite kind. He ends up with a silly grin on his face, because part of him will always be fifteen and stunned by _Astrid_ showing interest in him. The girl who won the town axe throwing competition that same year, the very first time she entered, who walked with confidence and determination, who looked at the skinniest, most awkward kid in their peer group and for whatever reason didn’t punch him like she did everyone else.

Well, no. Astrid still punched him. But she didn’t make him leave afterwards.

Toothless tries to steal the granola bars basically right away, nipping with his gummy jaws to remind Hiccup they have places to be. Hiccup bats his dragon on the nose, gets headbutted in return, and ends up being carried out on Toothless’ head, failing to scold properly through his laughter.

 

-/-

 

“See?” Fishlegs says softly, eyes intent on the quiet little figure among the other livelier hatchlings. “She won’t walk with her right leg.”

Hiccup watches the Changewing hatchling just as closely, seeing the tiny lizard limp along the branch she’s claimed as her own. Her siblings are all flitting around the acid-proof enclosure, testing their wings in short flights and getting into play tussles over their breakfast. The one Fishlegs is pointing out, however, stays on the artificial tree for the most part, mouthing a piece of meat without really eating it.

“Damn,” Hiccup says, speaking softly as well. “I knew we were getting off too lucky with these guys. They came last week, right? Where from again?”

“Edge of Siberia,” Fishlegs supplies. He sighs and shuts the viewing slot to the enclosure, running a hand down his face. “Local authorities couldn’t catch up with the poachers hunting their parents in time.” Changewing acid and scales are highly valuable on the black market, unfortunately. It brings a grim frown to Hiccup’s face. “She might’ve fallen in all the excitement, or been hit on that leg, or… who knows what. I should’ve noticed sooner.”

“Hey, this isn’t your fault,” Hiccup comforts, putting a hand on Fishlegs’ broad shoulder. To go along with his large size, Fishlegs’ heart is large, too. “They’re not exactly hands-on dragons, and we wanted to give them a bit of time to acclimate before we did a full physical. You did everything right.”

“It’s just they heal twice as fast at this stage,” Fishleg laments. “If it’s a break, it’ll have healed wrong. Or- or if there’s a wound and she’s hiding it, it could be infected. Or-”

“We’ll take care of it, whatever it is,” Hiccup placates firmly. “Later this afternoon, I promise you, we’ll come back and take her over to the infirmary.”

Some of the tension leaves Fishlegs’ shoulders, and Hiccup drops his hand. His friend nods. “Okay, I’ll have everything ready. Uh, thanks for coming. I was kinda starting to freak out a little.”

“Which is why we put you in here,” Hiccup says with a grin, patting Fishlegs’ back as he walks out of the quarantine zone. “You care about these guys like you’re their actual mother.”

Fishlegs blusters and huffs and gives Hiccup a shove from behind. They laugh and leave the little Changewings to their food, moving back out to the general area of the hatchery. Enclosures line the wide room, each filled with a different sort of dragon infant. Some are juveniles, soon to be strong enough to move to larger pens. Most are, sadly, young orphans, scales still soft and fires barely sparking.

Like most of the dragons they take in for rehabilitation, there are two stories that are typical for each rescue case. There are the ones who lose their parents in the wild, whether to natural disaster, abnormal circumstance, or human interference, and there are the ones brought back from the exotic pet trade. The latter Hiccup has particular hatred for; often times someone will buy a baby dragon, chain it up, make it learn a few tricks, and then dispose of it when they get too big for their liking. Almost none of them survive being abandoned in the wild after a lifetime in captivity, and the alternative method to getting rid of them is even more heinous.

There are bright sides, however. Hiccup glances into one of the enclosures and sees the familiar sight of one of Fishlegs’ Gronkles. Hand reared from Meatlug’s original clutch, years ago, Fishlegs has somehow managed to trained the dragons to be surrogate parents for hatchlings who need more attention than some.

The one he glances at is maybe Lambrind, a large female, who is gently licking the crests of recently rescued Nadders. Those of the spry hatchlings that aren’t being groomed are hopping about on the Gronkle’s thick hide, chirping and warbling as they play on the necessary warm body to keep them healthy.

It’s by far one of the best possible things Hiccup could witness right now. The myth that dragons are heartless, murdering monsters couldn’t be more wrong.

“So, do you know when Ruff n’ Tuff are getting here?” Fishlegs asks as they go to wash their hands- they’re all very careful about not transferring germs between areas, since even just touching the metal door could have left something on their skin. They’ll stop doing so once the quarantine for the Changewings is up.

“A bit later,” Hiccup replies, waiting his turn with the sink. “They broke their arms again.”

“Both?”

“Uh, which both? Both their arms, or both of them?”

“Umm... Both?”

“They broke an arm each, but no more than that, thankfully.”

“Glad they have good medical insurance,” Fishlegs says despairingly. Hiccup snorts and remarks the Thorston twins might be the best source of income the local insurance companies have.

As they leave the hatchery, they find Toothless and Meatlug playing tug-of-war with an old tire they keep around for the game. Toothless is the more powerful dragon, technically, but Meatlug is heavy, determined, and has a larger mouth to bite with.

Hiccup gives them about another ten seconds to settle the play fight- it’s a deadlock, and hackles are starting to be raised as the two dragons begin getting overexcited- and then raises his fingers to his lips and whistles loudly.

Toothless’ flaps go up and he drops the tire, same as Meatlug. Hiccup clicks his tongue, encouraging, “Hey guys, yeah, c’mon over here,” and has his hands raised for both the snouts that are rammed against his palms. “Aw, yeah, you’re both chilled out now, right? We don’t need to fight over a stupid tire.” He scratches their noses, smiling at the pleased huffs he receives. “Thank you for cooperating, I appreciate it very much.”

Meatlug starts to lick Hiccup, broad tongue swiping up his arm, which ticks off Toothless again. Hiccup is encircled by his territorial partner in a split second, Toothless hissing at Meatlug until the Gronkle backs off. Then, Toothless gives Hiccup a pointed licking.

Hiccup splutters, spittle flattening his hair. “Augh, Toothless, _seriously-_ Fishlegs, I’m sorry, someone’s being a jerk today.”

Fishlegs laughs easily, petting his sulking dragon partner. “It’s alright. Meatlug got a little pushy, so Toothless reminded her who’s boss.”

“Boss,” Hiccup says sarcastically, reaching up and pulling Toothless’ face down to be level with his. “Yeah, you’re a big mean Alpha, huh, bud? Doesn’t mean you get to go around snapping at everyone else, though.”

Toothless huffs hot breath across his face, warbling deep in his throat. Hiccup recognizes the look his partner’s green eyes, the way he’s holding himself and still warbling: _I’m listening but I’m also not, you’re mine I decided that, no arguing allowed._

Hiccup has ended up fluent in Night Fury cues, most of all Toothless’. He huffs his breath in Toothless’ face in payback; accepting that hey, fair enough. Hiccup decided Toothless was his a long ways back, too. He possibly gets a bit defensive about his partner as well.

Hiccup and Fishlegs’ radios crackle, Astrid’s voice announcing Snotlout has arrived finally and that she’s kicking him out of the breakroom to go do his job. She tells Hiccup that she’ll meet them in the kitchen to help with feeding time soon as she’s able.

“No snitching this time,” Hiccup tells Toothless, waggling a teasing finger. “You’ll get fat if you steal everyone else’s treats.”

Toothless whuffles and turns his head, not looking at Hiccup directly. _I don’t know what you’re talking about,_ he says with his posture and dismissal. Hiccup rolls his eyes and pats Toothless’ side.

“See you guys in a bit,” Fishlegs says as Hiccup mounts Toothless. Meatlug wags her thick tail, her sulk forgotten as Fishlegs continues scratching _juuuust_ the right spot.

“See you,” Hiccup replies, and Toothless launches them up into the air. They maybe don’t need to fly back, per say, as the main building is so close nearby. They maybe instead take a detour on the way back, making a broad circle around the sanctuary. They maybe are savoring it being just the two of them a few minutes longer, free of worry or concerns with the ground far below.

Until Snotlout spots them up there, anyway. His angry rant over the radio at Hiccup for shirking work- like he hadn’t just been doing that himself- is more than loud enough to draw Astrid’s attention, who very firmly tells the both of them to _go_ _do their jobs, now_.

Hiccup nearly radios back sarcastically _love you too, honey,_ but then Astrid would probably murder him with her eyes for the rest of the day, and everyone else on the frequency would hear him say that anyway. Their personal rules about working together are pretty simple: no mushy stuff, no distracting each other, no PDA. Astrid likes her privacy, Hiccup still feels social anxiety, and they both know the dragons are who comes first in their relationship.

“No rest for the wicked, huh, bud?” Hiccup says to Toothless, bending forwards to meet his partner’s eyes. Toothless’ pupils are large and mirthful, and he laughs at Hiccup’s scolding by his wife. “Oh like you don’t get bossed around, too.”

Hiccup gets treated to another _I don’t know what you’re talking about_ gesture, made with ear flaps and averted eyes, and then Toothless huffing and diving sharply downwards on purpose. Hiccup doesn’t even flinch at the sudden descent, because they’re of one mind like this, whether they’re bickering or not. He knew Toothless was going to dive, could feel the coil and shift of his wing muscles, and grins widely as they swoop over the main building, brief dispute completely forgotten.

**Author's Note:**

> kudo n comment if you're willing, this is my first httyd fic that i've published and i'd love to hear the thoughts of more devoted fans!


End file.
